Shutter apparatus for engine radiators



1,614,075 Jan. 9 A G.

SHUTTER APPARATUS FOR ENGINE RADIATORS Filed March 1. 1924 u Q47? G/VcZ'aZefi. wam mra wa Patented Jan. 11, 1927.

UITED .sTaTEs tennis PATENT rrics.

ALBERT G. MCCALEB, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB TO PINES MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

SHUTTER APPARATUS FOR ENGINE RADIATORS.

Application filed March 1, 1924. Serial No. 696,158.

My invention is concerned with improvef numeral 5 indicates a multiple cylinder ments in a radiator shutter apparatus 0 the type in which the shutters are opened by engine suction to increase the cooling capacity of the radiator. In the usual devices of this class the shutters are actuated by a simple form of suction motor which opens the shutters and tends to hold the same open, against the action of a closlng spring, when a substantial degree of the engine suction is applied to the said motor,

the connection between the source of suction,

i. e., the intake manifold of the engine, and the shutter operating motor being controlled by a thermostat responsive to the changes in engine temperature.

A very serious obiection to devices of this general class heretofore provided is attributable to the fact that the partial vacuum existing within an engine intake manifold vai'ies within wide limits. Often, for instance when an automobile is climbing a hill, i. e., with the engine operating under full load and open throttle, the pressure existing within the intake manifold becomes almost atmospheric. Under such conditions the shutters of the prior devices close, notwithstanding that' the engine may be very hot at the time the manifold suction falls off as hereinbefore described.

By my present invention, I eliminate the aforesaid objection to the various suction opened shutters of the prior art by associating with after the shutters are opened, and as long as the engine continues to operate, locks the shutters in open position but unlocks the shutters and permits them to close when the engine ceases to operate.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating p my invention,

Figure 1. diagrammatically illustrates the application of my invention -to a water cooled engine of the kind commonly employed on automobiles;

Figure 2-is a fragmentary view illustrating a modification wherein the shutter 1ock-' ing device is'hel'd in locking position by engine suction, and

Figure 3 similarly illustrates another modification wherein. the shutter locking device is actuated by oil pressure.

Similar characters of reference designates similar parts in the several views.

the shutters a locking device which,

Referring first to Figure 1, reference water jacketed internal combustion engine provided with the intake manifold 6, within which a varying partial vacuum exists when the engine is in operation. At 7 is illustrated a fragment of the core of a suitable radiator which, in automobile practice, is usually located in front of the engine and constitutes the front wall of an enclosure for the power plant of the vehicle. The radiator is, of course, connected throu h suitable conduits (not shown) with tie water jackets of the engine, so that the cooling medium may circulate or be circulated through the water jackets and the radiator in a well-known manner.

At 8 I have illustrated a plurality of shutters which control the cooling capacity of the radiator; i. e., when the shutters are open the radiator has its maximum cooling capacity, and when the shutters are closed the radiator has its. minimum cooling capacity. These shutters may form parts of aso-called radiator shutter attachment, or may be supported within the radiator shell to constitute a so-called built-in shutter apparatus. Both forms of radiator shutter apparatus are now'well known to automotive engineers. In the present disclosure, the shutters are mounted for movement around horizontal axes in a suitable frame indicated at 9. The shutters have a. common operating bar 10, aspring 11 normally holding the shutters closed and opposing movement of the shutters toward their open positions.

Fixed with respect to the frame 9 is a simple form of suction motor which in the resent disclosure comprises a cylinder 12, within which operates a piston 13 provided with a piston rod 14 which, if desired, may be guided by a spider 15 at the open end of the cylinder 12. The piston rod 14: is connected through a link 16 with a bell crank lever 17 which in turn is connected through a suitable link 18 with the shutter operatin bar. Thus, when the piston 13 is moved toward the closed end of the cylinder in which it operates, the shutters are opened against the action of their closing spring 11.

A conduit 19 is interposed between the closed end of the cylinder 12 and the intake manifold 6 in order that the suction of the 'which is associated a spring 22 which tends to move the valve element 21 to a position where it shuts ofi communication between the cylinder 12 and the intake manifold. Connected with the valve element 21 is an 'element 23 which bears against and con-- stitutes a follower for a thermo-wafer cell indicated at 24. v

The thermo-wafer cell may be of any well known type and is filled with a compound, conveniently containing ether, which appreciably changes its volume under changes in temperature. "In the present disclosure, the thermo-wafer cell operates within a housing 25 which forms part of or is carried by one of the elements of the shutter frame 9. The open end of this housing is closed by, and the thermowafer cell bears against, a heat conducting plate 26 which lies in'good heat conducting contact with the radiator core 7 and thus partakes of the temperature of the engine, as evidenced by the temperature of the cooling medium and of the radiator core 7. In some instances, it is desirable to rovide the housing 25 with a covering .of heat insulating material. Such a covering is illustrated at 27 As thus far described, the radiator shutter apparatus need not differ substantially from devices of this general type. now in use. Whenever the engine is at rest, the shutters close under the influenceof the spring 11 due to the fact that the piston 13 is not subjected to the suction of the manifold. When the engine starts 'from rest, the shutters remain closed until the engine attains a predetermined temperature which will vary with different ty'pes of engine, but which will usually be somewhere between 160 and in wide limits.

200 Fahrenheit. TWhen this temperature is attained, the thermo-wafer cell 24 expands to establish communication between the cylinder 12 and the intake'manifold. When this communication is established, the shutters open and tend to remain open so long as the manifold suction is suflicient to overcome the spring 11.

However, as before pointed out, the suction within an intake manifold varies with- ]:f the shutter apparatus herein disclosed were not provided with the locking means which is the salient feature of my present improvement, the shutters would close or start to close whenever in the normal operation of the engine the manifold suction is insufiicient to over-power the shutter clos ing spring 11. The shutters would'thus close or start to close, under this condition, regardless of the temperature of the engine, and notwithstanding that the engine might be very hot and require maximum cooling at the time the suction in the manifold becomes insuflicient to over-powerthe spring 11'.

I shall now describe the improvements of my present invention, 'whereby the shutters I when open areflockedopen so long, as the engine continues tooperate, but are per mitted to close, under. the influence ofthcv -spring"11, as' soon as the engine ceases to operate. s g 1 Carried by the shutter frame!) and fixed with respect thereto in any suitable manner, 1s a solenoid 28 provided with a movable magnetic core 29. Attached to this core and movable therewith is a reciprocating latch 30, preferably formed of non-magnetic material, which extends. i'ree'ly through an aperture in a latch guide 31 carried by the shut! tel-frame 9. A relatively weak retracting spring 32 associated with the core 29 holds the latch 30 to the right with its stop 33 lying against the guide 31, when the solenoid, 28 is (lo-energized. Whenever the solenoid is energized, the core 29 andlatch'30 move i .to the left (Fig. 1)." If the shutters are closed when such energization of the sole,- -noid occurs, the latch merely bears lightly against the inner surface of the shutter operatmg bar 10, but if the shutters are open when the solenoid is energized, the latch; is proJected over the top of the shutter operating bar and locksthe shutters in 0 en position until the solenoid is de-energize The solenoid is connected across the'te'rminals of the usual D. C. generator 34 which is permanently connected in driven relation to the crank shaft of the engine, and which operates whenever the engine operates. Due to the small amount of work which the solenoid 28 has to perform, it may be provided 195 with a high resistance winding. Thus, the solenoid places no substantial load upon the gcnerator. It is always energized when the engine is in operation.

It will thus be understood that the shutters of my present disclosure open only when the engine is in operation, and then only in care the thermostatically operated valve is affording communication between the suction motor and the intake manifold of the engine.- As soon as the shutters are opened, the latch 30 locks them open and holds them open as long as the engine continues to operate, notwithstanding the fact that the engine suction may vary within wide limits while the engine is in operation. As Soon as the engine ceases to operate, the retracting spring 32 disengages the latch from. the shutteroperating bar and permits the shutters to close.

In Figure 2 I have illustrated a modification of my invention. in which the latch is urged toward its locking position by a. suction motor 40 operahly connected with the intake manifold of the engine through a rangement conduit 41'. Due to the extremely small amount of work which the suction motor 40 has to perform, it will be understood that the suction motor 40 will hold the latch in its locking position even when the manifold suction has decreased to such a degree that the shutter operating motor 11 is unable to over-power the shutter closing spring 11 without the assistanceof the latch, The arshown in Figure 2 is particularly applicable to those types of cars where some appreciable suction exists within the intake manifold under all normal operating conditions, notwithstanding the fact that the suction may fall ofi. tojsuch a degree as to render the shutter operating motor 12 alone incapable of holding the shutters open against the action of their associated retracting spring 11. D i

, igure 3 illustrates a modification of my inwent-ion which is applicable to automobile engines provided with oiling systems of the force feed type In'this embodiment of my invention, the latchffor the shutter operating bar is moved to its locking position by an oilpressure motor 50 which is connected ters when the engine attains a given temthrough a conduit 51 with the oil pump of the engine indicated at 52. Whenever the engine isinoperation, the oil pressure exerted upon the piston or the motor is sulfieient to overcome the pressure of the latch retracting spring 32, but as soon; as the engine ceases to operate, the spring 32 disengagesthe latch from the shutter operating bar and .permitsthe shutters to close.

Having thus illustrated and described my invention, what I cla m is new and desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe'United States is 1. In combination with an engine and shutters for controlling the heat radiating capacity of the engine, thermally-controlled engine-suction operated means for opening the shutters when the engine attains a given temperature, and automatic means for lock ing the opened shutters against closing durmg the operation of the engine, and for releasing them when the engine ceases to operate.

2. In combination with an engine and shuttel-s for controlling the heat radiating capacity of the engine, means for utilizing the suction of the engine to open the shutters when the engine attains a given temperature, and means automatically operable when the engine is operating to lock the shutters open when opened, and to unlock the shutters when the engine ceases to operate.

3. In combination with an engine and shutters for controlling the heat radiating capacity of the engine,-means for utilizing a varying fluid prcssureto open theshutperature, and means automatically operable when theengine is operating to lock the shutters open when opened, and to unlock the shutters when the engine ceases to opcrate.

4. In combination with an internal combustion engine comprising a cooling system including a radiator, shutters for controlling the cooling capacity of the radiators, a suction motor to open the shutters, a connection between said motor and the engine intake, a valve controlling said connection, means resposive to engine temperature for operating said valve, a closing spring for said shutters, and automatic means operable when the engine is operating to lock the shutters against closing when opened, and to release the shutters when the engine cease; to operate. 7 v

5 In combinationwith an internal combustion engine comprising a cooling system including a radiator, shutters for controlling the cooling capacity of the radiator, a

closing spring for said shutters, means.

adapted to open said shutters against the action of said spring in response to an increase in engine temperature, a latch arranged to lock the shutters against'closing when opened, means for maintaining the latch in locking positionwhen the engine is in operation, and means for retracting the latch from' locking position when the engine ceases to operate ti. In combination. with an engine com" prising a cooling system including a radiator, shutters for controlling the cooling capacity of the radiator, a closing spring associated with said shutters,'a suction motor adapted to open said shutters against the action of said closing spring when engine suction is applied to said motor, a communication between said motor and the engine intake, a valve controlling said connection, a thermostat responsive "to changes in engine temperature for operating said-valve,

a shutter-operating bar, a latch associated with said shutter-operating bar, means associatedwith said latch operable automatically when'the engine is in operation to move said latch to a position where it looks the shutters against closing when opened,

and means associated with said latch for retracting it from locking position when the engine ceases to operate.

'7. In combination with an internal combustlon eng ne, closure means adapted to control the flow of air forlcooling said engine, engine-operated-thermostatically-controlled means for opening said closure means when the engine in operation has attained a certain temperature, and engine-operated means adapted to lock the closure means when opened and to unlock the closure means when the engine ceases to operate.

8. In combination with an internal combustlon engine, a generator driven thereby, closure means adapted to control the flow of liiil) air for cooling said engine, engine-operatedthermostatically-controlled means for opening said closure means when the engine in operation has attained a certain temperature, locking means for said closure means, and electro-magnetic means bridged across said generator adapted to actuate the locking means to hold the closure means open during the operation of the engine when said. closure means has been opened during the operation of the engine.

9 In combination with an internal combustion engine, closure means which automatically open to increase the flow of air for cooling said engine when the latter in operating attains a certain temperature, and automatic means effective when and only when the engine is operating to lock said closure means open when opened.

10. Ina combination with an internal combustion. engine and shutters for control ling the flow of air for cooling the engine, thermostatically controlled power-operated means-for opening the shutters when the engine attains a pre-determined temperature, a latch associated with said shutters for locking the shutters open when opened by the thermostatically controlled poweroperated means aforesaid, and means for insuring that the shutters are disengaged from said latch when the engine stops.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 27th day of February, 1924.

ALBERT G. MCCALEB, 

